last message to friends ©Thor May 1999                                                            back to Last Message index

All the materials in last message to friends are working teaching documents subject to review, alteration or abandonment in classroom practice. Anyone is welcome to use this stuff, but copyright remains with Thor May. Feedback, positive or negative, is very welcome.

ESL materials & ideas developed in China

"Four Sages " lesson plan

a) Scenario

1. The emperor  of China is holding a contest to find the wisest sage in all the land.

2. In each town and village, four wise people are asked to think up four clever questions.

3. From the four sages in each town, two will be asked to enter the emperor's competition.

4. The chosen sages from each town must each answer the same four questions from the sages of another town.

5. The townspeople will decide which one of the two sages is smartest in each case.

6. Those sages who pass the test of four questions in the marketplace will go forward to compete with each other. The people will choose the best questions to ask them.

7. That sage found to be wisest will sit at the emperor's  right hand.

b) Project  Plan

1. form groups of four sages

2. appoint a secretary

3. give your group the name of a town or village in China. No other group can have that name.

4. brainstorm possible questions to another town's sages

5. choose four of the best questions, and decide which order to ask them in.

7. assign individual questions to  members of the team

8. choose two sages to put forward for the emperor's competition

c) Themes

The questions for the contest can be restricted to one theme. For example, "China in the twenty-first century" , or "Ways to get rich" .... etc.

d) Types of Questions

1. yes/no Qs 3. factual Qs   5. hypothetical scenarios

2. wh-Qs 4. hypothetical Qs (6. Answers a sage might    offer)

 

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"Four Sages lesson plan" copyrighted to Thor May 1999; all rights reserved

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